Apparatus for compacting finely-divided materials.



PATENTED NOV. 1, 1904.

P LORILLARDF APPARATUS FOR GOMPAGTING FINELY DIVID ED MATERIALS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

Afa ave 7250 7": *PJML Ill/116911114 UNITED STATES Patented November 1,1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

PIERRE LORILLARD, OF TUXEDO PARK, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO AUTOMATICTVEIGHING MACHINE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NETVYORK.

APPARATUS FOR COIVIPACTING FlNELY-DIVIDED MATERIALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 773,877, dated November1, 1904:.

Application filed June 23,1903. Serial No. 162,820. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PIERRE LORILLARD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Tuxedo Park, in the county of Orange and State of New York,have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for CompactingFinely-Divided Materials, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an apparatus for settling or compacting masses offinely-divided material, and particularly fine and dry powders, inaccordance with a method described and claimed in another applicationfor Letters Patent, filed by me on the 23d day of June, 1903, Serial No.162,819, said method consisting, broadly speaking, in subjectinga givenmass of material to the simultaneous action of a compressing force andof a diminished air-pressure so produced and applied to the mass thatthe air with which it is charged, or a sufiicient portion thereof, iscaused to eX- pand and escape therefrom, leaving the particles ofmaterial behind it.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 represents in side elevation a preferred form of my apparatusin position to operate upon a quantity of material contained in areceptacle and riser, a portion of the receptacle and its contents beingshown in vertical sect-ion. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing amodification. Figs. 3 and a are respectively a central longitudinalsection and a bottom plan View of the lower end of the apparatus shownin Fig. 2.

The apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings comprises a tube 2,adapted to be inserted at one end into a receptacle containing materialto be compacted and provided at or near this end with one or moreopenings, preferably consisting of perforations 3, formed in the wallsof the tube. tion of the tube is covered with a strainer, which thusserves to separate the interior from the exterior of the tube and is ofsuch fineness that it will permit air to pass through it, but will beimpervious to particles of the The perforated por-.

material to be operated upon, or substantially so. For fine and drypowders, such asbaking-powder and the like, this strainer preferablyconsists of a hood or sheath 4, made of thin fabric, such asbolting-cloth, and tightly secured to the tube 2, as at 5. provides arigid backing and support for the strainer, and I have found that underconditions of use such as are herein described such a strainer ispervious to air, but is impervious to most fine powders. The other endof the tube 2 is connected to a pipe 6, which leads to an air-pump (notshown) or other suitable device for exhausting air from it and the tube2. The withdrawal ofair from the tube may be controlled in any suitablemanner, a convenient device for the purpose being the two- Way valve 7illustrated in the drawings, which is provided with a passage 8,arranged to establish communication between the tube 2 and the pipe 6when the valve is in the position shown and with a supplementary passage9, arranged to establish communication between the tube 2 and an inlet10 whenever the operating-handle 11 is turned in the direction indicatedby the arrow through an angle of ninety degrees from the position shown.When-the valve is in the former position, the inlet 10 will evidently beclosed, and when the valve is in the latter position communicationbetween the tube 2and the air-pump will be cut off.

12 represents a receptacle containing a quantity of material 13, and 14:represents a riser such as is commonly employed for holding the excessmaterial until the latter has been compacted.

In operation the strainer end of the tube 2 is inserted into theuncompacted mass of material contained in the receptacle and riser, andthe valve 7 is then turned into the position shown, thus establishingcommunication between the tube 2 and the pipe 6. A more or less perfectvacuum is thereupon produced within the perforated lower end of the tube2 and at the adjacent or inclosing surface of the mass of material, andby reason of this The tube thus reduction of air-pressure the air withwhich the material is charged flows from all directions toward and intothe tube through the strainer and perforations 3, while at the same timethe normal atmospheric pressure acting upon the exposed top surface ofthe mass of material through the open top of the riser exerts acompressing-action upon said mass. The result is that the material isinstantly compacted and settled by gravity and by the atmosphericpressure acting upon it and is forced into the receptacle 12, which isto contain it.

The valve 7 is thereupon turned to cut off communication between thetube 2 and the airpump and to establish communication between the tubeand the external air, and said tube is then withdrawn from thereceptacle and the contained material. The hole left in the material byWithdrawing the tube may be filled by giving a slight tap 0r jar to thereceptacle.

For the purpose of enabling the tube 2 to be conveniently inserted intoand withdrawn from the receptacle it may be connected with the pipe 6 bymeans of a piece of flexible tubing 15.

In Figs. 2, 3, and LI have illustrated a modification of my apparatus,according to which the side walls of the tube 2 are not perforated, theperforations 3 being formed in the otherwise closed flat bottom of thetube. The bolting-cloth 4: covers these perforations and is secured tothe tube near its lower end, as shown. This form of my apparatus may beemployed with materials such as baking'powder, the particles of whichare very mobile and permit the air with which the material is charged topass readily between them for a considerable distance; but for materialsof a less mobile nature I prefer the form of apparatus shown in Fig. l,which does not require the particles of air to pass through so much ofthe material before they reach the strainer.

I claim as my invention 1. An apparatus for compacting a mass offinely-divided material, comprising a tube adapted to be inserted intosaid mass and provided with a strainer separating its interior from itsexterior, said strainer being pervious to air but substantiallyimpervious to particles of the material operated upon, and means forwithdrawing air from the interior of the tube.

2. An apparatus for compacting a mass of finely-divided material,comprising a tube provided with one or more openings, a strainercovering said openings, said strainer being pervious to air butsubstantially impervious to particles of the material operated upon, andmeans for withdrawing air from the interior of the tube.

3. An apparatus for compacting a mass of finely-divided material,comprising a tube provided with a number of perforations, a strainercovering the perforated portion of the tube and supported thereby, saidstrainer being pervious to air but substantially impervious to particlesof the material operated upon, and means for withdrawing air from theinterior of the tube. 4. In an apparatus for compacting a mass offinely-divided material, a tube adapted to be insertedinto said mass andprovided with one or more openings, and a strainer covering saidopenings, said strainer being pervious to air but substantiallyimpervious to particles of the material operated upon.

5. In an apparatus for compacting a mass of finely-divided material, thecombination of a tube adapted to be inserted into said mass, andprovided with a strainer separating its interior from its exterior, saidstrainer being pervious to air but substantially impervious to particlesof the material operated upon, and a valve controlling the flow of airinto and from said tube.

6. In an apparatus for compacting a mass or finely-divided material, thecombination of a pipe adapted to be connected to an air-pump, a tubeprovided with a strainer separating its interior from its exterior, saidstrainer being pervious to air but substantially impervious to particlesof the material operated upon, and a hollow, flexible connection betweensaid tube and pipe.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto sub- 95 scribed my name this 17thday of June, 1903.

PIERRE LORILLARD. Witnesses:

E. D. CHADWICK, RoLLA W. BARTLETT.

